5.1 The role of individuals and households

You’ve been considering how to reduce your carbon footprint to help tackle climate change and, to some extent, other environmental changes. ‘I’ as an individual consumer do have a role to play but unless you live alone, you share your household with other people, a group that could be called ‘we’.

The UK Climate Change Committee argues that individuals and households have a major role to play in reducing emissions by making low-carbon choices. The Committee’s Sixth Carbon Budget detailed the actions required by consumers, business and government to meet the UK’s 78% emissions reduction target by 2035 (CCC, 2020). The Committee said that meeting the target requires significant changes in choices by individuals and households to reduce demand and improve efficiency – for example, eating less meat; using electric cars, public transport, cycling and walking; installing a heat pump instead of a gas boiler; reducing growth in aviation demand; and choosing products that last longer. According to the Committee, such changes by consumers will make a major contribution towards meeting the 2035 target on the way to net zero by 2050.

As an individual you may be willing, and able, to make some of these changes, but within a household, there may be different views and priorities about what, if anything, should be done about reducing carbon footprints. Saving energy and other resources can involve some inconvenience or loss of comfort and can involve advance planning or careful thought. It may involve spending money on carbon-saving products or cutting down on some pleasurable activities. There may be social or cultural issues, or deep-rooted beliefs and habits, which differ. Not everyone in the household may agree that the actions are necessary or desirable, or worth even minor inconveniences. Others may be driven by their environmental or other values to live as sustainably as possible.

One member of the household may want to become vegetarian or vegan, while others want to continue to eat meat, fish or eggs; different people in the household may want or need room temperatures to be warmer in winter than others; there may be different views about whether to fly for holidays, on how many new clothes are necessary, and on whether buying second-hand goods or travelling by public transport is acceptable; and so on.

You may be able to think of similar issues in your household, and using the carbon calculator may have highlighted some of them. Does this mean that each member of the household has to be responsible for their own carbon footprint? Or are there shared activities about which compromises must be made in order to reduce the household’s total footprint?

Of course, you may not be just part of a shared household: you are also a member of society. Even if you agree within your household about what to do, many others in society are less concerned about reducing carbon footprints or don’t have the required knowledge to take action. Is there any point in trying to reduce your footprint when others aren’t interested or willing to change? I think there is. Making changes not only reduce your footprint but also act as a positive example for others, who might then be encouraged to take action.